By Anthony Caruso III | Publisher
The Cleveland Cavaliers acquired Caris LeVert on Monday. The Cavaliers also acquired a 2022 second-round draft pick that originally belonged to the Miami Heat.
In exchange, the Indiana Pacers have acquired Ricky Rubio and a lottery-protected 2022 first-round draft pick. The Pacers also acquired two second-round draft picks.
The 2022 second-round draft pick originally belonged to the Houston Rockets. The second one, a 2027 second-round draft pick originally belonged to the Utah Jazz.
“We are very excited to add a dynamic young player of this caliber and experience,” Cavaliers GM Koby Altman said. “Caris LeVert fits uniquely into our culture and his Ohio roots bring an immediate connection to our community. We look forward to seeing what type of impact he can make on this roster. We also want to send our best wishes to Ricky Rubio and his family. Ricky has been the consummate professional and his leadership both on and off the court was invaluable and we respect everything he brought to this franchise.”
The 27-year-old started 39 games with the Pacers before the trade. He was averaging 18.7 points, 3.8 rebounds, 4.4 assists, 0.9 steals, and 0.5 blocks per game.
He returns to his native Ohio with this trade. He is from Columbus, Ohio.
With this trade, he going to be playing a little more than two hours from his hometown.
LeVert will now be playing for his third NBA team. He is playing for his second team in a little over a year.
In January 2021, he was part of the blockbuster deal that sent James Harden to the Brooklyn Nets.
He has appeared in 299 games, including 170 starts. He is averaging 14.7 points per game in his career.
The 31-year-old Rubio will not play for the Pacers. He suffered a torn ACL on December 28th, 2021, against the New Orleans Pelicans.
The deal allows the Pacers to get out of LeVert’s contract while accepting an expiring contract in Rubio.
Before his season-ending injury, Rubio appeared in 34 games with the Cavaliers. He made eight starts.
He was averaging 13.1 points per game on the season before his injury.
“Cleveland is in a great position, and adding a guy like Caris LeVert very well could push them to the top,” Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle said. ”Caris has been a tremendous young man to work with here. He’s a very special person and a very special player. He’s a first-class human being and a first-class pro and a tremendous player. I’m going to miss him.”
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